Releska

ソウイフモノ
sou iu mono
That Sort of Person

Vocals: Ranko
Arranged by: Comp
Album: Pop (ポップ)
Circle: Butaotome (豚乙女)
Event: Reitaisai 11 [RTS11]
Original: Mermaid from the Uncharted Land [秘境のマーメイド ]

So, I found out, thanks to a tip from the Touhou Wiki, that the title of this song is based on the second-last sentence of Kenji Miyazawa’s poem ‘Be not defeated by the rain’ [Ame ni mo makezu]. Apparently, フ ‘fu’ was once pronounced ウ’u’ … I looked at some translations, but I couldn’t really find any more links between this song and the poem. The original Japanese poem is here: http://www.cbl.or.jp/mailmag/info/080108.html (there are quite a few translations out there, so I won’t link to a specific one here).

But the whole ‘youkai eating people’ vibe is strong in this album. Let’s see if it stays the same throughout the other tracks…

Subtitled video courtesy of Quwanti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv9gBBEN17w

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ゆらゆら揺られている尾ひれに絡みつく
愚かなヒトの髪と最期の言葉
「不老不死は 嘘だったんだ」
不味い肉で ごめんなさい

yurayura yurareteiru ohire ni karamitsuku
oroka na hito no kami to saigo no kotoba
「furoufushi wa uso dattan da」
mazui niku de gomennasai

My swaying, shaking tail and fins coil themselves all around
That foolish human’s hair, and here’s their last words:
“So immortality was just a myth all along.”
You tasted really bad… Oh my, I’m so sorry!

永遠の命など求めたって無駄よ
はらりはらり 儚きこそ
人間の運命

eien no inochi nado motometatte muda yo
harariharari hakanaki koso
ningen no sadame

Searching for stuff like eternal life is a futile thing, you know!
It gently, gently falls. It’s transient for sure-
The fate of humans.

かつてはわたしだって歩いてみたいって
思っては足を求めヒトを食した
叶わないと 心の底で
分かってたの ごめんなさい

katsute wa watashi datte aruite mitaitte
omotte wa ashi wo motome hito wo shokushita
kanawanai to kokoro no soko de
wakatteta no gomennasai

Once, I thought I’d like to try and walk on land.
Seeking feet of my own, I ate a human.
From the bottom of my heart, I knew all along that
My wish wouldn’t come true… oh my, I’m so sorry!

間違えた間違えた 望んじゃダメなもの
望んだらもう駄目なのはそう
人間と同じ

machigaeta machigaeta nozonja dame na mono
nozondara mou muda na no wa sou
ningen to onaji

I was wrong, I was wrong! I can’t wish for something like that…
That’s right, if I wish for something like that, I’m done for.
Just like those humans.

人魚にはなれないし
人間もなれない
相容れない世界がある
ソウイフモノです
永遠の命など求めたって無駄よ
はらりはらり 儚きこそ
人間の運命

ningyou ni wa narenai shi
ningen mo narenai
aiirenai sekai ga aru
sou iu mono desu
eien no inochi nado motometatte muda yo
harariharari hakanaki koso
ningen no sadame

I can’t even become a mermaid.
I can’t become a human, either.
There’s a world out there that I’m incompatible with:
I’m that sort of person.
Searching for stuff like eternal life is a futile thing, you know!
It gently, gently falls. It’s transient for sure-
The fate of humans.